WELLINGTON. (FROM DAILY TIMES CORRESPONDENT.)

Otago Witness, Issue 585, 14 February 1863, Page 2

WELLINGTON. ( FROM DAILY TIMES CORRESPONDENT.)

[[Hie following is the missing portion of our corr&tyPii/Jent's letter, which Las since come to hand.]

Wellington, 22 th January, 1863

The Queen had no sooner srvived from jQtago yesterday, than the Airedale fcom Auckland followed her, only to render our disappointment at not receiving our English mail the greater, from the fact of the Northern and Nelson portion having arrived in good time at Auckland. We could have borne the loss of our own t nl with dignity, if only others had to undergo the s>ame operatiqn ; but after having for ' yeans been crying up Melbourne a=; the port of departure, it is most humiliating to find, that however right our theory may have been, in practice Sydney is superior. " Canterbury, Wellington, and

Hawke's Bay are the only Province? north of Ota^o, who aro dependent on the Otn^o route for their English mail ; and I can '••peak for Wellington that she b ni'«-t docidccilv in favor (,1 cutting ihe tvu"^ 1 ion ;i!to:uher. The only rope that lull's lv.v down, the only reason that prevenis an outlmrst from the head of the l»ay, is sn'ul to be tlu part which the Postmaster- General has assigned to the local company in the general steam arrangements. It is considered a wise policy to keep on yoo'l terms with tho=;e who have our subsidies to dispose of ; but the evils resulting from the inegul.irities of the En;jlwh mail are becoming bo great, that I shall not be surptisod to find that the matter is yet taken up sharply. The Jlon. Mr Mantcll, who went up to Auckland lately, returned List uisht. I have hoard nothing in the shape of gossip yet ; but 1 believe his object in going up was to have his " three-legged beat" in the Ministry placed on a more satisfactory footing. Ministers without office, and therefore without salary, are not expected to do much beyond giving their advice, advice always being given gratis the wide-world over ; but Mr Mantell being resident here cannot very often present his colleagues with any of that valuable article, and has therefore taken a general oversight of Governmental matters in this neighborhood. Willing, however, as most men may be to give their advice gratuitously, very few care about doing anything for nothing, and I cannot be said to be libelling Mr Mantell if I presume he is no exception to the general rule, although lie is just the kind of man to prove the rue by being the exception. The reports as to his having been summoned to attend a Cabinet Council to decide on peace or war, the position of the new AttorneyGeneral, &c, &c, are, I need scarcely say, mere moonshine. The Gazette just come down confirms the announcement you lately made relative to Mr Whittaker's appointment being a non-political one, as I see " His Excellency directs it to be notified that the Attorney General will not be required to act in any political capacity, but will perform only the duty of Law Officer of Government."